Washington, D.C., October 13, 2026 – A concert by Kazakhstan’s ethno-folk ensemble HasSak was held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art to mark the 35th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and the United States, and the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.
The event was organized with the support of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the United States and Samruk-Kazyna JSC as part of the Kazakhstan Cultural Heritage Fund project under the Smithsonian Institution.
The concert brought together representatives of the U.S. Administration, the diplomatic corps, expert and cultural communities, as well as members of the Kazakh diaspora. The Kazakh musicians received a warm welcome from the American audience, with their performances met by sustained applause.
The program featured traditional Kazakh compositions alongside their contemporary interpretations. The musicians showcased the rich range of sounds produced by traditional instruments, including the dombra, zhetygen, sybyzgy, and kylkobyz, introducing the American audience to the musical traditions of the Great Steppe.
HasSak’s performance was held as part of the Heritage in Motion program, implemented by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in partnership with the Kazakhstan-based nonprofit organization Music Unbound. The project brings together cultural practitioners and bearers of intangible cultural heritage from Kazakhstan and the United States and includes collaborative work in Almaty and Tucson in the lead-up to the 2027 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
The event continued a series of Kazakhstan’s cultural initiatives in the United States marking milestone anniversaries for both countries and aimed at promoting Kazakh culture and expanding cultural and humanitarian ties between the countries.
